New Mac Mini Unveiled, Along With a $100 Price Jump

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.worldofapple.com/archives/2010/06/15/apple-unveils-new-mac-mini-featuring-hdmi-output/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+WorldOfApple+(World+of+Apple)' target='_blank'>http://news.worldofapple.com/archiv...World+of+Apple)</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Apple has today quietly unveiled a brand new Mac mini featuring a new design, twice the graphics performances, HDMI out and an SD card slot."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1276606670.usr105634.jpg" /></p><p>I really like the looks of this version, but it does come with a bump of the price to $699.00 USD for the entry level version, up from $599.00 USD. Progress at a price I guess, as this one comes with HDMI as well as an SD Card slot, an internal power supply, easier access panel for memory upgrades and an NVIDIA GeForces 320M integrated graphics processor, "delivering twice the performance as its predecessor."</p>

[Islanti]

Disappointing there's not a way to get a second full speed Gigabit Ethernet NIC on the Mini. Even a server specific option to drop the Airport and two USB ports for a second NIC would have been worthwhile.

[Jason Dunn]

Awww man...seriously?? The same Core 2 Duo CPU??? :mad: And a $100 price jump? Grr. Amazing that they made it even thinner though...oh, and there's a panel on the bottom to upgrade the memory easily. That's pretty slick! Some other interesting stuff they packed in - I'm impressed that they're able to integrate the power supply and still shrink the chassis. That's nice.

OK, I'm going to order one. :eek:

[Jason Dunn]

Disappointing there's not a way to get a second full speed Gigabit Ethernet NIC on the Mini.

I have a couple of systems that have dual LAN ports, and I've never grasped why I'd use the second one...so educate me. :) What benefit is there to having a second LAN port?

[doogald]

I have a couple of systems that have dual LAN ports, and I've never grasped why I'd use the second one...so educate me. :) What benefit is there to having a second LAN port?

For the Snow Leopard Server version, redundancy (assuming, of course, they had separate controllers.) You could also use it as a very educated edge router as well, providing NAT on one port downstream while connecting to the internet on the other port upstream, while doing things like sophisticated QOS scheduling.

This is a great upgrade, but my old Mini continues to chug along just fine. I'm very, very jealous of that integrated power and the HDMI out port, though.

[Jason Dunn]

For the Snow Leopard Server version, redundancy (assuming, of course, they had separate controllers.) You could also use it as a very educated edge router as well, providing NAT on one port downstream while connecting to the internet on the other port upstream, while doing things like sophisticated QOS scheduling.

OK, so basically nothing even remotely simple that a consumer would ever want to do...or even someone like myself. :D

[doogald]

No, redundancy is good, too. If you have a bad cable, a bad port, a bad ethernet controller, your server stays up with a redundant connection. Also, with two connections, traffic can be split between the two connections, improving throughput to the server (assuming that all of the hardware in the Mac Mini could keep up.) You know, two clients on the network both communicating with the server somehow - two people streaming different movies from a file share, etc.

[crimsonsky]

Be still my heart! Jason??? Ordering a Mini. Wow! Good on you, mate. :D

I typically always upgrade when a new Mini comes out, having gotten my start in Macs with the original PPC Mac Mini. However, I'm going to pass, at least for a while, on upgrading this time. (Honestly - I want the new XBox more). My late 2009 Mini is chugging along just fine thank you very much. Typically I pass on my old Mini to my son, but since he has a 27" iMac now (and two prior Minis he inherited from me) I don't think he'll need the one I currently have. I will probably update in a year or so.

[Jason Dunn]

Be still my heart! Jason??? Ordering a Mini. Wow! Good on you, mate. :D

If you don't follow me on Twitter, you should read my Tweets from today (http://twitter.com/jasondunn). :D

I will probably update in a year or so.

You sure you want to wait? Next year's model might be $799. :rolleyes:

[crimsonsky]

If you don't follow me on Twitter, you should read my Tweets from today (http://twitter.com/jasondunn). :D

I did and now I'm following you. Way cool. And the universe still survives! I think you'll find the Apple store experience can be unique.

You sure you want to wait? Next year's model might be $799. :rolleyes:

Well, it was a choice between the new XBox and the Mini. The XBox wins. And given my affinity for the Mini, I'd probably buy it even at that price.

[Jason Dunn]

I think you'll find the Apple store experience can be unique.

I really would have preferred the store option, but they didn't have any in stock yet, and they had no idea when they'd be getting them - the person I talked to basically told me to order from Apple.ca. So I went the online route - been pretty impressed with it so far. Ordered it yesterday, end of day, and this morning I got a ship email - and just a few minutes ago I received a "Thank you for purchasing your Mac Mini" email. Good experience so far!

[Islanti]

I have a couple of systems that have dual LAN ports, and I've never grasped why I'd use the second one...so educate me. :) What benefit is there to having a second LAN port?Redundancy is fine and good but I had another practical reason in mind. External storage. FW800 is great but Gigabit Ethernet iSCSI is faster. Ideally I want a dedicated NIC I can connect to storage (say the DroboPro (http://drobo.com/products/drobopro/index.php)).

A second Ethernet port is definitely not a must have on the standard Mini. I rather expected it for the Mini Server, however. It wouldn't require extensive modifications: drop the Airport card to free up an mPCI connection and 2 USB ports off the back for the port.

[Jason Dunn]

FW800 is great but Gigabit Ethernet iSCSI is faster. Ideally I want a dedicated NIC I can connect to storage...

Wow - how delightfully esoteric! I'd never even heard of iSCSI before you mentioned it - based on what I've read, it's pops up in the business world, but the Mac Mini is a consumer product, so I really doubt you'll ever see that type of port on it. Hell, it doesn't even have eSATA. The Mac Mini is not a power user computer. ;)

[Islanti]

Wow - how delightfully esoteric! I'd never even heard of iSCSI before you mentioned it - based on what I've read, it's pops up in the business world, but the Mac Mini is a consumer product, so I really doubt you'll ever see that type of port on it. Hell, it doesn't even have eSATA. The Mac Mini is not a power user computer. ;)My expectation is for the Mac Mini Server to have a 2nd Ethernet port, not the consumer model.

There are consumer applications though. I currently have a Mini connected via iSCSI to a DroboPro at home for my ~2TB iTunes library (audio, video, HD video) for example. I'm just sharing the single port which hurts throughput.

For small businesses a Mac Mini Server + iSCSI storage offers a cheaper alternative to an XServe + Fibre Channel storage (the current "Apple way" to serve files). Compare OS X Server (unlimited user bundled with the $1000 Mini Server) to Windows 2008 Small Business Server (and the required CALs). The Mini is a cost effective solution for email, calendaring, web serving, and wikis.